Stuart Korfhage column: Wozniacki is the main attraction at MPS

If there is a star at the MPS Group Championships at Sawgrass, her name is Caroline Wozniacki.

She's not a major champion. She's not a young woman with her face splashed all over billboards in major cities like Maria Sharapova or Williams sisters.

But she is the No. 2-ranked player on the pro tour and the only champion this tournament has seen since it moved into St. Johns County from Amelia Island.

The 19-year-old Dane was the featured performer in Friday's final prime-time match of the tournament, and she didn't disappoint a healthy turnout -- unless you wanted a tight match.

In less time than it takes the Yankees and Red Sox to play two innings, Wozniacki made area tennis fans with weekend tickets happy. She overwhelmed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-1, 6-3, winning the last six games of the match and slipping easily into today's semifinals. Except for two short periods early in each set, Wozniacki was completely dominant. She was the one ranked higher than stars like Venus Williams and Kim Clijsters. (Granted, those supremely talented ladies aren't playing here.)

"I felt like I played a consistent match," Wozniacki said. "The one who was dictating the game was winning."

Wozniacki won't come out and say it -- nor should she -- but this is really her tournament to win. There is nobody else in this draw who should beat her.

So far, no player has won more than four games in a set against Wozniacki, and that was tour veteran Patty Schnyder. Today, the player who stands in the way of Wozniacki playing for her seventh career tour victory is Elena Vesnina, the fourth seed who gave the teenager a battle in last year's semifinals.

"I don't know how much she has improved," Wozniacki said. "I haven't played her since New Haven last year. Tomorrow we'll have to see. Hopefully I have improved more."

Since they last met at Sawgrass, Wozniacki has been a finalist in the U.S. Open and has reached the elite of pro tennis. She played like one of the game's best Friday. Will she keep it up through the weekend?

"It's a totally different match tomorrow," Wozniacki said. "I'm just going to go out there and enjoy myself."

If she survives that one, Wozniacki could end up going against Dominika Cibulkova, the third seed who was a finalist in this event back in 2008.

Cibulkova and Vesnina are accomplished players, currently ranked 29th and 33rd, respectively. But they aren't really stars, and who knows if they will become stars. Wozniacki is -- and a rising one at that.

Making it 2 for 2 at the MPS Group Championships would be a nice reminder of that to herself and the tennis world.